The book provides a colorful, egg-straordinarily entertaining account of chicken history; breeds; the world of chicken collectibles; and the chicken’s role in art, pop culture, myth, legend, religion, and folklore.

You’ll also find a wide selection of words and phrases inspired by chicks, technical poultry terms, instructions on how to say “cock-a-doodle-doo” in different languages, as well as other trivia.

The lighthearted yet informative text is complemented by photos of different breeds, images of chickens in ads, and photos of chicken collectibles (also known as “chickenalia”).

“The author, an avowed chicken afficionado, presents the lowly chicken in a brand new light in this entertaining book,” writes John Trapp, a retired wildlife biologist, on his Birds Etcetera blog. “I found this book to be highly readable, visually appealing, entertaining, and educational. What more could you want in a book?”

Nicole’s casual interest in old crochet and knitting patterns grew into a mission to search The Library Company’s collections and make available to patrons a comprehensive database of holdings focused on needle crafts and their relationship to the economy of the family, leisure, philanthropy, and manufacturing.

Read the of this book before you purchase it.

Nicole’s research has allowed her to cross-reference a large number of materials on the history of knitting and crochet throughout the 19th century and translate patterns of the period for modern use while uncovering a social history of knitting and crochet in early American culture.

The culmination of her research is presented in both the exhibition and her book “Historic Reflections in Crochet.”